


rough around the edges

by aanathemaa



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:55:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27730378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aanathemaa/pseuds/aanathemaa
Summary: At first glance, he can see a plain black t-shirt and a plain neatly folded white dress shirt. Underneath them, he spots an army green colored something so he assumes it must be the pants TK's told him about. He carefully removes them from the drawer but his heart skips a beat at the sound of a loud sharp scratching noise against the floor.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 10
Kudos: 222





	rough around the edges

Carlos wakes up to the sound of water pressure. He blinks a couple of times and tries to adjust his eyes to the light spilling from between the peach-colored curtains. It takes him a few seconds to remember that he's not home, that he's in TK's bed and that the sound of water is most probably TK taking a shower. He's learned a while ago that the boy is an early bird, no matter how late he goes to sleep. He thinks it's partially a work habit (which Carlos can relate to), partially anxiety. 

It's actually only the second time Carlos sleeps over at TK's place, despite kind of seeing each other for almost two months, and Carlos finds that he always sleeps better when he shares a bed with TK, wherever that bed happens to be. 

Sleeping over at TK's place is, in fact, a big deal. Willingly or not, TK has shared details of his past with Carlos pretty early on and, when Carlos showed his interest regardless of his history, TK's made it pretty clear that he still needs time and space to adjust to this new place, to the people, to Carlos, before he jumps into something that's more serious than he can handle. Carlos, for his part, appreciated the honesty. It was better than to go into this whole thing with unrealistic expectations.

Still, that doesn't mean everything is off the table, or that Carlos isn't allowed to try to gain TK's trust and make it work, it just means he has to be a bit more patient with TK. And luckily, he is a pretty patient man. It also doesn't help that TK is a really kind, caring, charming guy, with the nicest sea-green eyes Carlos' seen so far and a smile that made his heart pound loudly in his chest. In truth, Carlos' been whipped from the very beginning and while it may have started as a purely physical attraction (have you seen that ass?!), Carlos stood no chance once he got to know TK better. 

Sure, TK is a bit rough around the edges, but he's been dealt a bad hand and he is trying his best to not only keep his head above the water but learn to swim too. If Carlos wants this to work, he has to respect the space that TK needs in order to do that. 

Getting out of the bed, he stretches his arms up above his head, allowing his back and muscles to shift under his skin comfortably. He pads slowly towards the bathroom door, picking up various pieces of clothing as he does, and knocks twice.

"Morning," he says, loudly enough so TK hears him. TK turns the shower off. 

"Morning," he replies, "I'm sorry, I'm not done yet. I'll be out in ten minutes, okay?"

"It's okay, don't worry about that," Carlos leans on the door, looking down, "just wanted to know if I can grab a pair of your sweats?"

TK is silent for a few seconds. 

"Sure." he says then, "Uh, there's a pair of green ones in my second drawer I think. They're a size too big for me so they might actually fit you. Can you check?"

"Yeah, sure." Carlos smiles, pushing himself away from the door. The sound of the water quickly resumes as he walks towards the dresser.

It feels quite intimate to actually look through someone's things when they're not present, especially when it comes to the man that you're most curious about, but TK's given his permission so Carlos just opens the second drawer as instructed.

At first glance, he can see a plain black t-shirt and a plain neatly folded white dress shirt. Underneath them, he spots an army green colored _something_ so he assumes it must be the pants TK's told him about. He carefully removes them from the drawer but his heart skips a beat at the sound of a loud sharp scratching noise against the floor.

 _Fuck._ He must have dropped something.

When Carlos looks down, sprawled all over the space between him and the dresser, he sees at least thirty pictures, scattered in front of him.

Well, he certainly didn't mean to do _that_.

He throws the pair of sweatpants on the bed and crouches down to gather and pick up the pictures. He tries not to examine them or anything, but he sees a bunch of them that show a twenty-something woman, with black curls and a familiar smile, and what seems to be a younger version of Owen.

Some of them show the same woman holding a baby, while Owen, _TK's dad_ , makes funny faces at said baby. 

It's obvious what these photographs represent and TK can sue Carlos, but he cannot stop the smile that spreads on his face at the multiple funny pictures of his parents in their PJs trying to make baby TK laugh. 

And just to warm his heart more, there's even one with his mom on the hospital bed, holding TK in her arms as multiple baby blue balloons seem to be tied to the bed rail. There are flowers on her bedside table and there's a glint in her eyes that Carlos can only describe as happiness. When he turns over the picture, he sees " _first day on earth_ " and " _i love you_ " written in black marker that has faded a lot over the years. 

He knows TK's mom isn't in his life right now, he knows these pictures may be bittersweet, but they look like such nice memories that Carlos can't help the way his thoughts drift towards his own mother.

There are pictures very similar to these at his place, except the ones he has are crowded by his two older sisters looking at him like he's from outer space but at the same time still trying to hold him tight in their tiny arms while his mother is trying to make sure they don't drop him.

Carlos sighs. He's probably crossed a line by looking at these pictures. He tries to pick up the rest of them much faster, but he stops by a particular one that has multiple people in it.

There are men and women in the background that Carlos doesn't know, but he can once again recognize a young Owen, big smile on his face, arm over a pretty lady that isn't TK's mom. In the centre of the picture, there's an elderly lady holding up a chocolate cake, smile just as wide as Owen's. To her right stands TK, eyes shut tight and scrunching up his whipped cream covered nose as another man kisses his cheek. 

Carlos doesn't even have to wonder, he somehow just _knows_ that's the man who broke TK's heart all the way back in New York. Anger suddenly courses through him like a spark of electricity. 

TK must have loved him a lot. He must have loved him _so much_. He wanted to marry the guy after all. And Carlos can't get over how incredibly selfish it feels to take that kind of love and throw it out the window. 

Fine, some people aren't meant to be, but no one is meant to be cheated on. No one should have their trust shattered in the worst possible way. 

It's even more frustrating to see the way TK still struggles with the trauma of that breakup while Carlos is trying his best to prove to TK he's trustworthy, that he cares, that he may be, in fact, falling in love with him faster than he thought.

And TK may not be able to give that kind of love to someone else again, at least not for a while, but Carlos will be there as long as TK wants him, wants _them_ , together. 

When he turns the picture over, there is nothing written on its back.

What Carlos does wonder is whether or not there's a part of TK that still wishes he could be with this man, that he could go back to that moment in time, and he wonders if that's why he kept this picture. 

"Found something interesting?" TK asks, taking the breath out of Carlos' lungs as he suddenly realizes that he was so deep in thought, he didn't even hear the shower being turned off, or TK walking in the room. 

When Carlos looks up, guilt written all over his face, TK gives him a small smile. 

"It's fine. I forgot I put them in there."

"I'm really sorry," Carlos says, gathering all of them and standing up. He places them into the drawer and closes it quickly. He fucked up. "that was very rude of me."

TK shakes his head and steps towards him.

"It's okay. I'm not mad. You were just curious."

Carlos frowns and searches his eyes. He doesn't know if TK means it. 

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry." TK says, trying to sound casual. He shrugs, "It's mostly pictures of me and my mom and my dad." he turns his head towards the dresser for a moment, "And there's one of Alex too."

There's a beat of silence before Carlos replies.

"Yeah, I saw it." his jaw tightens ever so slightly, "I'm sorry."

He doesn't want to make things worse. He feels like he already did.

TK huffs and sharply turns towards Carlos with a pointed look.

"Stop saying you're sorry." he says, like he's mad at Carlos, but he soon offers him a smile. 

"I just-" 

"I didn't throw it away because-" 

"TK, you don't have to tell me." Carlos interrupts him and steps closer. He gently grabs TK by the waist, "You don't have to explain yourself to me."

TK reads something in Carlos' eyes that he doesn't like. He frowns.

"It's not like that." TK says firmly, "I know it looks like I've kept his picture because I still have feelings for him. I mean I do, but not the kind of feelings you might think of. I don't want him back if that's what you think."

"I didn't say anything, Ty."

"I know, it's just," he sighs, "I kept that picture because of my grandmother. It's a picture from my birthday, the last picture I actually have of her alive. It's a really nice picture and I've wanted to cut Alex out of it so many times, but that means cutting my dad out of it too." 

"Ty..." Carlos slowly pulls him into a hug. He feels the way TK buries his nose into the crook of his neck and he regrets not putting those pictures back as soon as they fell.

"I don't want to cut my dad out, you know? And one day, I won't care Alex is in the picture too. One day it won't hurt to look at it."

"No," Carlos whispers against his hair before softly pulling back to hold TK's face in his hands, "no, it won't." 

TK looks him in the eye for the longest time, like he's searching for something he can't find, and he frowns again, looking down. 

"I don't want you to think you're my rebound or something. You're really, really not. I care a lot about you. Much more than I even thought."

Carlos gently pushes his chin up, forcing TK to face him. He leans down and kisses him with a soft brush of the lips, feeling shivers down his spine. 

"I know. I know it's not like that." Carlos assures him, "I know you care about me."

"I want you to stay." TK says suddenly, just as firmly, and a little out of breath, "I don't want you to go." 

And Carlos knows he isn't talking about how he needs to get home and get ready for work.

"I'm not going anywhere." he promises, placing a soft kiss on TK's forehead. "I'll stay as long as you'll have me." 

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope y'all enjoyed this! I'd love to know what you think!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated in this house! <3


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